Pedro Munhoz Record: 20-10-0

Climbing the bantamweight ladder

Munhoz strung together the most productive stretch of his career in the mid-2010s. After a split-decision loss to Jimmie Rivera, he reeled off submission wins over Russell Doane and Justin Scoggins, decisioned Damian Stasiak, and submitted Rob Font with a first-round guillotine. A split-decision loss to John Dodson briefly stalled him, but he answered with a decision over Brett Johns and a first-round TKO of Bryan Caraway.

The Garbrandt knockout and the elite run

Munhoz produced his signature highlight at UFC 235 in March 2019, knocking out former champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round – a result that vaulted him into the title picture. He then traded results with the division’s elite: decision losses to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 238 and former champion Frankie Edgar in a five-round war, a clear win over Jimmie Rivera in their rematch, and competitive decision defeats to legends José Aldo and Dominick Cruz. A 2022 bout with Sean O’Malley ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke.

The veteran chapter

Munhoz remained a measuring stick for the division’s contenders. He decisioned Chris Gutierrez in 2023, then dropped a run of decisions to Marlon Vera, Kyler Phillips and Aiemann Zahabi against rising opposition. He carries a professional record of 20-10.

Fighting style

Munhoz is a pressure fighter with a jiu-jitsu black belt’s submission acumen and a reputation for one of the toughest chins in MMA – remarkably, all ten of his losses have come by decision, never by knockout or submission. His finishes split evenly between his hands and his grappling: 8 submissions (often the guillotine) and 5 knockouts among his 20 wins, a 65% finish rate. He throws heavy leg kicks, hunts the body, and is always live with a choke in scrambles. The honest assessment of his recent skid is that against the division’s sharpest, quickest contenders he has found himself on the wrong side of close decisions, but his durability and willingness to fight anyone have made him a perennial litmus test at 135.

Career highlights

• First-round KO of Cody Garbrandt — stopped the former UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 235, the defining win of his career.
• Former RFA bantamweight champion — captured the title by outpointing veteran Jeff Curran in 2013 before earning his UFC call-up.
• One of MMA’s toughest chins — never finished in his career, with all ten of his losses coming by decision against a who’s-who of the bantamweight division.